All posts tagged John Liu

John Liu, a former New York City comptroller who ran unsuccessfully for mayor last year, accused the city Campaign Finance Board in a federal lawsuit of unlawfully denying his campaign millions of dollars in public matching funds.

According to the lawsuit, which Mr. Liu announced at a news conference on Wednesday, the board delivered his campaign a “death sentence” when it decided in August not to give him any matching funds. The lawsuit alleges the board based its decision on a “shoddy investigation” and that its treatment of Mr. Liu was “wholly arbitrary and without rational basis.”

The lawsuit alleges Mr. Liu “suffered extreme mental and emotional anguish, along with dignity harms, resulting from being unfairly and unwarrantedly accused of wrongdoing.” Read More »

Candidates for New York City mayor are entering the final days of the race, with the contenders for the Democratic primary counting on widespread volunteer operations to make a difference ahead of the primary vote on Tuesday.

Over the last few months, celebrities, unions, media outlets and other elected officials have thrown their weight behind their chosen candidates, with former City Comptroller Bill Thompson leading the pack in endorsement numbers.

The Democratic candidates for New York City mayor meet for their final debate one week before the primary.

The Wall Street Journal sponsored its second debate September 3 with NBC 4 New York and Telemundo Nueva York featuring the following Democratic candidates for New York City mayor: Bill de Blasio, John Liu, Christine Quinn, Bill Thompson and Anthony Weiner. Watch the full debate and read a live blog about the issues that were raised.

5:58 pm (EDT)

WSJ Staff

Welcome to our liveblog for the Democratic mayoral primary debate sponsored by The Wall Street Journal, NBC 4 New York and Telemundo Nueva York. The debate will start at 7 p.m., and you can watch here at WSJ.com/NY.

Public Advocate Bill De Blasio talks to voters on the Upper West Side recently. He is leading in Tuesday’s Quinnipiac Poll.

A new poll suggests that Public Advocate Bill de Blasio could be in position to win the Democratic mayoral primary outright next week, avoiding the runoff that most New York political types thought was certain.

The poll of likely Democratic primary voters by Quinnipiac University found Mr. de Blasio leading the primary field with 43% of the vote. That’s above the 40% threshold that would trigger an Oct. 1 runoff. But the poll’s margin of error is 3.5 percentage points.

Former city Comptroller Bill Thompson had the support of 20% of respondents, while City Council Speaker Christine Quinn came in third with 18%. Former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, who once led the pack, had 7%. Current Comptroller John Liu had 4%.

The survey marks a dramatic turnabout from earlier this year, when it was Ms. Quinn who was flirting with the 40% threshold and Mr. de Blasio polled in the middle of the pack. Read More »

Mayoral candidate and city Comptroller John Liu proposed a measure to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana for personal use on Wednesday.

“We have to recognize that the prohibition of marijuana failed and its enforcement has damaged too many lives, especially in minority communities,” Mr. Liu said. “When it comes to marijuana use, enforcement is not equal – it is disproportionately warm in communities of color.”

When asked if Mr. Liu — a self-professed skateboarder in his youth — smoked pot, he told reporters he never had and never will, even if it is legal. Read More »

New York City mayoral candidate John Liu, seen here at a rally last week, was denied public campaign funds by a city agency on Monday.

The New York City Campaign Finance Board decided on Monday not to grant public-matching funds to mayoral hopeful John Liu, a ruling that will severely hamper his ability to be competitive in the hotly contested race for City Hall.

In a statement read by board chairman Father Joseph Parkes, the board described the problems in Mr. Liu’s fundraising operation as “serious” and “pervasive.” The board received evidence of “substantial non-compliance” with the law and the board’s rules, the board said.

Earlier this year, Mr. Liu’s former campaign treasurer and a former fundraiser were convicted in federal court of campaign fraud charges, and another aide admitted at trial that she offered to reimburse contributors for their donations, which she said she knew was wrong. Both defendants are appealing; Mr. Liu hasn’t been charged with a crime and has long said his campaign operates with integrity. Read More »

On Monday, the board is expected to make public a decision on whether Mr. Liu’s request for upwards of $3.5 million in public-matching funds will be granted. The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that board staff has recommended that the board reject Mr. Liu’s request for matching funds. Read More »

New York mayoral candidate John Liu shakes hands with supporters while he attends the annual Dominican Day Parade in the Bronx.

New York City mayoral hopeful John Liu has won the backing of the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association after the union’s top choice, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, confirmed he will definitively not be a candidate this fall, the union’s leader said Wednesday.

Norman Seabrook, the union’s president, said he had been holding out on an endorsement for months because he hoped Mr. Kelly would enter the race at the 11th hour, but Mr. Seabrook said the commissioner has informed him in no uncertain terms that he will not be a candidate to succeed Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Candidates have until Aug. 20 to submit independent nomination petitions to the city’s Board of Elections to secure a spot on the November ballot. Read More »

New York City’s 911 call system will come under new scrutiny after City Comptroller John Liu announced on Tuesday that he will conduct an audit of the emergency network to investigate several recent crashes.

Mr. Liu, a Democratic candidate for mayor, is the latest person vying for the city’s top office to voice concern over the new dispatch system, which was fully launched on May 29 and has since seen several glitches in communicating emergency calls to the appropriate first responders. Next Monday, the City Council will hold a hearing on the issue.

Police and fire officials have defended the new system, called ICAD, as a necessary upgrade to an antiquated network, and they said that they expected that an overhaul using new technology would experience minor interruptions. Read More »